Cuba’s ideals failed. But at least it had them

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A Tory isn’t supposed to think this. But Havana’s revolutionaries had something that is missing in Britain

‘When I was younger here,” a Cuban said sadly to me on the streets of Havana last week, “you didn’t need money to live. Now you will die without it. Capitalism is a hard thing.” This man was almost certainly materially better off now than when he was younger. He wasn’t speaking of his standard of living, but of human values.

And yes, I do realise that it was never going to work. I think the subversion and corruption of the revolution was both inevitable and shocking. I know about the brutality and political persecution. I can see for myself